Claim: A video montage shows a US Air Force B-52 bomber taking off and crashing in June 2026.
Fact: While some of the footage in the compilation are authentic, two clips are old and entirely unrelated to the recent crash.
On 16 June, a Pakistani user posted a video on Facebook purportedly showing various scenes of the US B-52 Stratofortress bomber jet taking off the tarmac before crashing. The caption stated:
“A US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed at Edwards Air Force Base (California, USA).
The plane was on a routine test flight.
The plane crashed shortly after takeoff. All 8 people on board were killed.
The US Air Force…”
Screenshot of the Facebook post.
The footage circulated after a US Air Force B-52 bomber crashed shortly after taking off from Edwards Air Force Base in California on 15 June. There were no survivors from the crash, which killed all eight people on board.
The article fact-checks the first 10 seconds of the video, which shows an aircraft taking off, and also another set of visuals of a plane crashing at 0:09.
Image showing various scenes being fact-checked.
Other visuals of smoke rising in the distance in the video shared in the above post are likely recent as news organisations like CNN and ABC News also published them following the crash.
The last scenes of a charred surface following the crash also appear to be recent, as CNN, WSJ, and multiple others published footage of the same moment from various angles.
Fact or Fiction?
1. First 10 seconds of the plane taking off
Soch Fact Check reverse-searched keyframes from the video and found that the scenes of the plane taking off are not related to the recent crash.
A YouTube channel posted a video featuring different clips on 1 May 2026 with part of the caption stating: “The B-52 Stratofortress is one of the oldest bombers still in service. It debuted during the Cold War, yet it continues to play a key role in modern operations”, indicating that the visuals show a “B-52 Stratofortress”. The first seven seconds of the footage match the video being fact-checked, confirming that the clip predates the crash mentioned in the claim.
On the left is a keyframe from the Facebook clip from June 2026, which matches the one on YouTube from 1 May 2026.
Soch Fact Check also found the same but longer version of this video on TikTok from as early as 16 November 2024. The caption stated the following: “Two B-52H Stratofortresses assigned to the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron take off from RAF Fairford, England, during Bomber Task Force 25-1, Nov. 13, 2024.
@usairforce video by Senior Airman Mary Bowers”.
Then a keyword search based on the above caption, specifically on “@usairforce video by Senior Airman Mary Bowers”, yielded an original clip on the website of Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS). DVIDS is an operation run by the Department of War Information Activity (DWIA), connecting media around the world with the military, according to its website.
The video was posted on 13 November 2024, titled “Two B-52s takeoff from RAF Fairford for Training Sortie”. From 0:42, this clip matches the video being fact-checked as shown below:
On the left is the Facebook clip being fact-checked which matches the original clip posted on the DVIDS website in November 2024.
The caption stated the following:
“Two B-52H Stratofortresses assigned to the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron take off from RAF Fairford, England during Bomber Task Force 25-1, Nov. 13, 2024.
The presence of U.S. forces in Europe demonstrates a steadfast commitment to NATO Allies and the vision of a united, free, and peaceful Europe. (U.S. Air Force video by Senior Airman Mary Bowers)”.
Soch Fact Check, therefore, concludes the visuals of the jet taking off are old and unrelated to the recent crash of the B52 bomber on 15 June 2026.
2. Old clip at 0:09 – 0:15
Soch Fact Check also verified the second set of scenes that purportedly show a plane crashing.
Reverse-searching these visuals reveals they are also old. On 7 May 2024, an Instagram user posted the same clip that matches the visuals being fact-checked, with a part of the caption stating: “In June 1994, a USAF B-52 Stratofortress crashed at Fairchild Air Force Base, claiming the lives of all 4 people onboard.”
Left: visuals shared in the Facebook post being fact-checked. Right: The same clip from May 2024.
The same clip also appeared on Reddit on 5 May 2024, and the description reads: “In June 1994, a USAF B-52 Stratofortress crashed at Fairchild Air Force Base, claiming the lives of all 4 people onboard.”
Although Soch Fact Check cannot confirm the exact origin of these visuals, the fact they appeared online as early as 2024 confirms these are not connected to the recent crash.
Soch Fact Check therefore rates the claim as false.
Virality
The Facebook post was viewed over 107,000 times and received 1,800 likes.
The clip was also posted on Facebook at least 28 times. Notably, Nukta shared these visuals on Facebook following the crash of the US Air Force B-52 bomber.
Screenshot of the Facebook reel by Nukta.
Soch Fact Check also found the clip was posted on Instagram in at least 10 instances.
Bol News also shared the old visuals on its TikTok page.
Conclusion: Two of the clips in the montage are old and unrelated to the recent crash. The first video of the aircraft taking off dates back to 13 November 2024. The second one showing the crash appeared online as early as May 2024.
Background image in cover photo: military.com
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